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getting back into life

Camping is not for the faint of heart, even in the “posh” conditions of a travel trailer! Having a trusty companion or two and the right tools can make the difference between success and failure. For me that would be the guard dog, handy husband, jugs of water, and very long extension cord. Gotter done!

I am grateful for our Camplite (aka Tin Can Ranch) that allows me to go places with my hubby and stay in a mobile “clean room,” away from the hazards of hotels and limited choices of restaurant menus. Preparing for these trips is an incredible amount of work all by itself: just about the same amount of tasks need to be completed for a week-long vacation as an over-nighter. I have a sense that we won’t be doing the latter again anytime soon! Regardless, I rallied the strength and off we went with great expectations to the Illinois Beach State Park north of Chicago, Illinois. I was to attend the day-long Designs for Health: A Prescription for Wellness seminar at the beautiful Chicago Botanical Gardens and Steve was to tackle the surf along Lake Michigan. Later we planned to meet up with some friends for dinner on the north side of the city before heading south around the city and back to NE Indiana into the wee hours of the morning. Whilst the latter plans were complicated by severe rain and traffic issues for all parties, it turned out to be an “easier” part of our itinerary!

Our wacky adventures began soon after we pulled into the campground along the shores of Lake Michigan. Up first: hooking up the electrical. Not! For the next several hours we battled a worn breaker system that kept tripping no matter what we did to avert the issue. Was it the breakers in the trailer that were overloaded? The eroded contacts in the refrigerator switch plate that requires a few minutes of babysitting to turn on? Figuring this out required much problem-solving with wifey-poo dressed in early Spring/Winter garb, very weary from travelling and following orders from the friendly but not-so-helpful front office staff. To sort this out, we ran our extension cord to a few adjacent sites to no avail. Very likely it was the campsite breakers that were worn and not our camper since everything had worked fine at home the day before. Too bad the real on-site expert had the day off!

Finally my husband figured out two work-a-rounds: 1) hooking up our battery charger to the battery to run the water pump and 2) running our 100-foot extension cord to a 3rd campsite and through the kitchen area window to run the electric heater. In the morning I disconnected the heater and attached it to my blow dryer to make some order of the bed head that came with the morning. What about just taking a shower you ask? Well don’t! That didn’t happen . . . for me anyways. The campground did not have water or sewer hook-ups so we had filled our modest, 30-gallon water tank at home thinking it would be enough for bathroom needs with quick “Navy-style” showers. We were wrong. Steve did get a shower . . . then a paddle in Lake Michigan . . . then another shower in the only open bathroom facilities in the campground. I made the most of things and had a quick cooooold sponge bath before heading out to the seminar! Oh well. I was definitely AWAKE for the day of lectures to follow!

A few other tidbits further enhanced our experience such as Steve gashing his lip on the rusted breaker box in the midst of trying to figure out things! So glad for our first aid supplies! Then there was the brand new hot water pot that I had plugged in through the cord dangling in kitchen window to make some hot tea ended up not working; I used an electric frying pan instead! Additionally I took every remedy that I had with me to ward off noxious symptoms from ongoing illness and to consume before-and-during the seminar (with copious amounts of food-n-bacon, of course). And guess what? The seminar was incredible! Steve had a great time paddling our outrigger canoe 7 miles along the lake shore and the pup got in a few long walks at the beach. Cool beans.

Forrest Gump logic applies very well to almost all of our camping experiences these past 3 years: you never know what you are going to get! This trip was no different. We are now home and pooped. Massive loads of laundry and cleaning are now underway to decontaminate everything for our next adventure having something to do with trailer demolishen derby races or something. With our luck, let’s just hope we don’t end up on the figure-8 track. Should be fun. Or maybe not. I’ll be sure to letcha know. Eeeeek!

8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!
There is no want to those who fear Him.
10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.

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Gentle Reader: I'm writing this blog to share my story, to instill hope, and for general informational purposes only. This blog is not intended as, nor should it be considered a substitute for, professional, legal, or medical advice. Take care, JJ